Her Majesty The Queen

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed a long and close relationship with Stratford-upon-Avon and Shakespeare, which began with the gift of a set of Shakespeare volumes which The Queen was given by the townspeople for her 18th birthday.  

Gifts continued to be exchanged: the townspeople presented a walnut bureau to Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip on the occasion of their wedding, with a warm letter of thanks being sent to the mayor to express The Queen’s thanks for this beautiful gift and the friendly feelings of those who contributed by subscription. 

In her Coronation year, Queen Elizabeth II gave the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust a new variety of rose tree, Ena Harkness, which was planted in the garden of Shakespeare's Birthplace.

The Queen visited Stratford almost every decade of her long reign.  

On 14 June 1957, just seven years after her parents and sister had visited, The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited the town for nearly six hours. After visiting the Town Hall, they visited Shakespeare’s Birthplace, where they were met by Sir Fordham Flower, Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. 

Elizabeth and Patricia, the five-year old twin daughters of Director Levi Fox presented Her Majesty with baskets of flowers and herbs grown in the gardens of the Trust. 

The Royal party met the chief guide (Mr W.H.Dyke) and the longest serving member of staff, Miss D. Sheppard. They left the press behind and were so interested in collections items including the Quiney letter and a First Folio, that the programme fell more than five minutes behind schedule while they lingered to admire them. 

It was also reported that The Queen was fascinated to see pictures of old Stratford and keen to know to what extent the town’s old buildings had been preserved. She was touched to see a photograph of her parents’ last visit. 

It was on this visit that The Queen was presented with two sets of the New Temple Shakespeare, specially bound and with an inscription from the Trustees for His Royal Highness Prince Charles and Her Royal Highness Princess Anne. Perhaps this was the starting point for Prince Charles’ life-long love of Shakespeare and theatre. 

Her Majesty The Queen had been invited to open the new Shakespeare Centre in April 1964 and would have done so, but for the birth of His Royal Highness Prince Edward in March of that year. Prince Philip attended the opening and in July 1964, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Director Levi Fox and several of the Trustees were invited to attend a garden party held at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the year of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. The Queen spoke to Levi Fox and was keen to know about the new centre and future plans, wishing the Trust all success in its activities.

On the afternoon of Friday 27 June 1975 The Queen was in Stratford again; this time to perform the opening ceremony of the theatre’s Centenary Garden and to visit Hall’s Croft in the 400th anniversary year of John Hall’s birth. As with her previous visit to the Trust, she was able to enjoy a private visit and spend time talking to staff, admiring the exhibitions and the garden. She signed the distinguished visitors’ book for the second time and was presented by a water-colour painting of Hall’s Croft by its chief guide, Arthur Keen, F.R.S.A. 

The Queen made further visits in 1986, 1996 and 2011. In 1996 she visited in honour of the town’s 800th anniversary, turning on the new fountain at the Bancroft, laying a wreath at the altar in the Guild Chapel for past citizens of the town and waving to the crowds from the balcony of the Town Hall.  There was also a humorous moment when The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were unable to cut the 2ft wide eight-sided cake with a 16th century broadsword from the town’s collection.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has always celebrated key occasions in The Queen’s reign. For the Coronation a number of improvements were made to the houses and gardens, a garden party was held at Hall’s Croft and a beech tree was planted at the lower end of the Great Garden at Shakespeare's New Place, which stands to this day.

For the Silver Jubilee in 1977, the Trustees and Director sent a message of loyal greetings by telegram, receiving a warm message back from The Queen’s Private Secretary. The day of the Jubilee was declared a special bank holiday and the Shakespeare properties were opened to the public in honour of the occasion. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust also undertook two special projects as a lasting commemoration of the Silver Jubilee. A new pedestrian approach to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage was created, including a timber footbridge and the planting of trees along the walk. The Jubilee Walk was officially opened on December 1st 1977. The Trustees’ second project was to establish the Silver Jubilee Educational Fund in order to encourage research and publication based on our collection.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has touched every part of Great Britain during her long reign and all towns doubtless have records of street parties and other celebrations. Stratford-upon-Avon and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust have been particularly closely connected to The Queen and have been privileged to enjoy her warm, genuine interest and to share their treasures with her on a personal level. These memories will live on in our properties and in our collection.